Last Class Topics

I am currently enrolled in my LAST class toward my PhD in Adult Learning and Leadership. My research has been approved. We are currently collecting data. I am ready to analyze and discuss and conclude. But . . . I still have to go through with this one last class. 

We have to pick a topic to write on, and produce a publishable journal article by the end of the class. 

What are my topics?

Topic 1 - VR and Emotion in Industry Training

I have recently completed my proposal for research to study how emotionally resonant videos combined with virtual reality (VR) exercises can augment computer based training (CBT) courses. This is a quantitative study where I will use participants who visit the training site where I work. We intend to study the participant's recall across three groups, a control group, and two experimental groups. Research shows that emotion can be leveraged in training to enhance the encoding and durability of memories of learning objectives. The problem this study will investigate is whether the possibility of transfer of learning from the training area to the job site can be augmented or improved by emotionally resonant videos that are added to VR exercises within CBTs as measured by recall tests provided three days after training. I am in the midst of performing and analyzing the results of this study, one of my committee members suggested that I research and begin to understand how I can publish this in a journal after my dissertation and the study are complete. The challenge with focusing on this topic is that the study is currently in the middle of being administered and completed. The success of the integration is still up in the air. The benefits of using this study for this class are that it is directly relevant to my life and work, and will help advance the research that I am doing and help move it into the next most natural evolution of my work and publishing life.

Topic 2 - PO & PE Fit in the Energy Industry

For several of my qualitative courses, I have worked on a study that focuses on Person-Organization Fit and Person-Environment Fit in recruiting in the energy industry I support. This study included several interviews with volunteer participants who had started new jobs in the industry. Seven participants completed the study completely which consisted of 4 telephone interviews over the course of the first 3 months of their working with their new organizations. The purpose of this research is to explore in what ways industrial contractors are motivated to remain at their organizations after several weeks of work as compared to their expectations about the organization. This study has the potential to influence the hiring practices of organizations that support the energy industry which could then in turn lead to decreased recruiting and onboarding costs and increase the safety standards of the organizations. A lower turnover rate among employees, especially new-to-the-industry employees, leads to an organization with an employee base with more experience. A lack of experience leads to confusion and potentially a greater number of safety issues. The benefits of using this study for this course this summer are that I have refined the study material over several qualitative courses, coded using Nvivo, and have worked on several write-ups of the study already. The challenge with using this study for the present course is that it takes away from working more on the quantitative study on VR that I described in Topic 1 which is far more directly pertinent to my completion of my PhD.

I will probably go with Topic 1. It will help me move forward with my dissertation. I'll come back to Topic Two once people start calling me Doctor.